Posts Tagged ‘innovation’

On many levels, the phenomenon of activity trackers can be quite a challenge to track. Presenting yesterday to the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions of the Institute of Medicine, Gary Bennett of Duke University and Kimberly Warner of Fitbit presented a compelling picture for the potential of this technology. Despite the fact that the data on […]

Weight Watchers passed a key milestone this week in a difficult makeover. They unveiled new advertising with Oprah Winfrey to support the complete re-design of their program for the critical New Year period. The company’s stock jumped more than 20% when the new advertising debuted. Responding to consumer preferences shifting away from diets, deprivation, and weight […]

With 2015 receding into history, we already have a pretty clear picture of trends and events that will help define 2016 in obesity, fitness, and nutrition. Here are ten that stand out. Fitness Tracking. In a global survey of 2,833 fitness professionals, the American College of Sports Medicine found that respondents expect wearable technology for fitness tracking […]

The story of FDA objecting to a fake mayonnaise product calling itself Just Mayo™ has reached a happy ending just in time for Christmas. FDA has saved face and seemingly not backed down from its definition of what mayonnaise is. Hampton Creek, the startup behind this product, has kept its branding and won lots of […]

New research is pointing to the possibility that gene therapy might eventually offer a cure for people with some forms of obesity. Publishing their research in Cell Reports, Akinori Takahashi and colleagues have found that by manipulating two genes in mice — Cnot7 and Tob — they could make mice burn more of their fat stores […]

Being different can be uncomfortable and, sometimes, rewarding. A new review in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds only small differences between a rising crop of new, once-weekly drugs for diabetes called GLP-1 agonists. The investigators found a lot of similarities between the outcomes with these drugs, along with some differences in side effects, body weight, […]

How can it be that Americans are simultaneously growing more enamored with gluten-free foods and more skeptical about them? As contradictory as that sounds, it describes the state of consumer perceptions about this hot, sketchy category. Between 2013 and 2015, the category has grown by 136%, now generating $11.6 billion in sales. Gluten-free foods account for 6.5% […]

This week brought another dose of bad news for everyone with an interest in Zafgen’s obesity drug, beloranib. A second patient taking the drug in a study of its use for treating Prader-Willi syndrome has died from a blood clot. Zafgen CEO Thomas Hughes said: Our thoughts are with the patient and their family at […]

Gee whiz, our brains are full. After a week of listening and learning from the smartest people in the world about obesity, we all need some time to it take home from ObesityWeek 2015 and just digest it. But while you’re digesting, here are some things to reflect upon. Brain Drain & Gain. The neuroscience presented at this […]

It’s a little hard to tell if we’re making progress toward better obesity care. Maybe that’s why it’s important to start a conversation about obesity care with National Obesity Care Week. It’s not like we’re lacking for headlines about obesity. You can find lots of talk about obesity everywhere you turn. The problem is that all […]